Benidorm: Spain's Sexiest City

looking for a hotel

The first thing I noticed as soon as I walked off the bus was how strange the air smelled and felt. It had a honey-like aroma to it and didn't feel like it was filling your lungs. It's as if its consistency was lighter than what I was accustomed to.

We found a hotel (rather easily, I might add) and went straight to bed. The next day we visited Benidorm's day life. Like most Spanish cities, Benidorm is slopped with many narrow streets. Rarely will you see symmetrical roads; everything has an organic feel to it. The streets are peppered with white station wagon Citroens, ironically referred to as "Lemon Cars" by the natives because they are used to transport lemons (many Spaniards own lemon plantations).

The upper part of Benidorm (the side away from the sea) is a commercial/residential area. The meat of the city starts at Playa Levante, the city's main beach. Benidorm is actually divided in three, focusing on its beaches: Playa Levante and Playa de Poniente, as well as a small one located in the middle called Playa Mal Pas.

naked woman beach

The beaches have their own verve, and stores and tourist attractions surround them. Playa Levante attracts a younger "active" generation, while Poniente and Mal Pas target family-oriented and mature tourists. The city square is off-limits to cars.

We headed for the city square and from there to Playa Levante. As the day grew hotter, my friend got some ice cream, while I spent my time gawking at all the pretty girls. The last thing I wanted was to strut around with a runny ice-cream cone like some moron, and Costa Blanca has some of the best-looking girls in the world.

Finally, we were there: the Rising Beach. Fortunately, unlike in North America, European beaches don't have laws prohibiting women from going topless. It is then that I realized why they called that beach Playa Levante (Rise).

The main street on the beach is about a mile long. It is a mile of dance clubs, bars and restaurants unlike any I have ever seen in my life. No cars are allowed. I was surprised to see that some dance clubs (or pubs as they like to call them) were still open at noon. It turns out that some clubs open in May and stay open until September! Can you say after hours ?